1940 Ford Station Wagon - From Salt To Surf

Just the FactsYear: 1940Make: FordModel: Station WagonOwner: Charles NearburgState: Texas

More men have flown to the moon than have driven 400 mph in a car. Charles Nearburg from Dallas is one of the people who can claim membership in that extraordinarily elite second group. On the first day of autumn in 2010, Charles climbed into the "Spirit of Rett" streamliner (named for his son Rett, who died in 2005), and ran 417 mph across the Bonneville Salt. An hour later, on his second run, he was clocked at 411 mph. His average speed of 414 mph broke the 45-year-old record set by Bob Summers in the Summers Brothers' "Goldenrod" streamliner in 1965.

Enthusiasts who like more than one type of performance need more than one kind of car. In addition to enjoying the thrill of setting records on the salt, Charles likes the thrill of driving street rods—so in addition to the streamliner, he owns some sweet street cars, including a 1932 Ford Tudor sedan, a 1932 Vicky, a restored 1914 Packard Series 2 38 phaeton, and this 1940 Ford woodie.

2/13The distinctive air cleaners were provided by C. Cook Enterprises. Custom valve covers by Mike Curtis cap the high-flow heads. British Racing Green was applied between the ribs.

The 1940 was a California car, brought to Charles' attention by his friend and fellow collector, Bruce Meyer. It had been an all-original, running, driving classic before undergoing a complete ground-up custom rebuild by Bryan Wheeler and his staff at Wheeler's Speed Shop in Huntington Beach, California.

The best street rod modifications are those that improve the original car, rather than change things for the sake of change. The factory lines of the 1940 Ford station wagon leave little, if any, room for improvement, which is why so many rodders maintain them in factory form. Woodie collector and expert Nick Alexander contributed to this wagon's restoration, using gumwood insert panels (as Ford had done, along with birch) as a contrast to the lighter maple used on the frame. One noticeable exterior change that could be called an improvement is the pair of 1936 Ford taillights added at Wheeler's. The stainless steel grille is a resto replacement piece from Dan Fink Metalworks in Huntington Beach. For final bodywork and paint, the wagon traveled across L.A. County to Mick's Paint in Pomona, where Mick Jenkins sprayed the smooth-as-glass British Racing Green paint.

In keeping with the restored exterior appearance, the wheels were chosen for a classic look. The 275/60R17 and 225/60R16 Goodyear Eagle RS-A radial tires were selected for driveability in today's conditions, and were mounted on traditionally styled smoothies from The Wheel Smith in Corona, California. The painted and pinstriped wheels measure 17x8 and 16x7, dressed up with trim rings and '49 Ford DeLuxe caps.

The extraordinary woodwork continues into the cabin of the wagon. Nick Alexander's craftsmanship on the door panels and headliner is absolutely beautiful—and provided a big challenge to Pete Engle at Westminster Upholstery in Anaheim who succeeded in bringing the rest of the interior to the same level of excellence. That's a lot more work with three rows of seats and a lot more leather, but the stock benches, covered in dark tan hides with French stitching, never looked better. Darker square-weave carpeting was used on the floor, closer in color to the 1940 dash. The Classic Instruments gauges aren't exact duplicates of stock, but fit the art deco design. The steering column and wheels are repro pieces from Juliano's Hot Rod Parts. Wheeler's installed the Kenwood audio system and the Vintage Air A/C components, and handled the wiring.

The engine compartment was treated to a lot of custom sheetmetal work, painted body color. Mounted in the middle of it all is a Ford Racing Parts 5.0L Cammer modular crate engine. The intake manifold and injection from Imagine Injection in Glendale, Arizona, combines the performance of modern EFI with vintage-inspired look. On Charles' engine, the look is enhanced by topping the velocity stacks with domed air cleaners from C. Cook Enterprises. Eclipse Engineering in Whittier, California, provided tuning help. The custom stainless headers and exhaust pipes were built at Wheeler's Speed Shop, with MagnaFlow mufflers to sweeten the sound. A Ford 4R70W trans, built by Orange County Transmission in Costa Mesa, is equipped with a ProTorque high-performance converter.

4/13The dash vent doors contribute to the resto rod theme.

The chassis was upgraded with a TCI Engineering frame, featuring an independent suspension in front and a four-link in the rear, locating a Ford 9-inch with 3.70:1 gears and limited slip. Antiroll bars and Bilstein coilover shocks fore and aft contribute to the ride and handling quality. Four-corner Wilwood 14-inch disc brakes are plumbed to a Classic Performance Products master cylinder and Hydratech power assist system, so slowing down on the street is never a problem.

5/13The distinctive air cleaners were provided by C. Cook Enterprises. Custom valve covers by Mike Curtis cap the high-flow heads. British Racing Green was applied between the ribs.

Nobody would mistake this 1940 Ford wagon for a 400-mph land speed record holder. Not even Charles Nearburg could go 400 mph in a woodie; then again, he couldn't drive his land speed streamliner 400 miles. The woodie was built to drive. So while the speedometer needle will never twist as far as it would in the Spirit of Rett, we suspect that the odometer gears will roll a little more.